Politics has always created battlegrounds - places that attract intense attention from political parties because they are seen as key to winning elections.

You may be familiar with England's "Red Wall", the "Blue Wall" states in America, Italy's "Red Belt" or France's "Rust Belt". Political parties naturally focus on these areas. The problem comes when governments start governing only for them.

Last September, I wrote to the Government to express my disappointment at its flagship Pride in Place programme - a £5.6 billion investment scheme supposedly designed to support communities that need it most. Not a penny came to Farnham, Bordon, Haslemere, Liphook or our surrounding villages.

Yet the scheme was enthusiastically championed by Labour MPs in constituencies where the party faces a challenge from Reform UK. It looked less like a national investment strategy and more like party politics in action.

Since then, matters have only become worse.

What began as a regeneration programme has evolved into something far more political. Labour has handed special powers to MPs in the allocation of funding, while reports now suggest ministers are considering further business rates incentives for many of the same areas.

Taken together, these decisions create the impression that government support is increasingly being directed towards electoral battlegrounds rather than communities with genuine need.

So where does that leave us here in Surrey and Hampshire? Labour knows it cannot win here. That creates a real risk that our communities are overlooked by a government focused elsewhere.

It also raises an important question about local representation. If Labour is concentrating resources on its own political priorities, who is standing up to challenge that on behalf of our area?

As your Conservative MP, I am focused on securing practical improvements for local people: faster broadband, better healthcare provision, stronger SEND support and backing for local businesses.

Nationally, I am campaigning for lower taxes, the abolition of business rates, the removal of stamp duty and action on the punitive levels of student loan interest.

The Liberal Democrats, meanwhile, present themselves locally as an alternative to Labour while too often supporting policies that would mean higher taxes, higher spending and a larger state.

When it comes to holding this government to account, too many residents are left wondering whose side they are really on. I have no illusion that funding will suddenly start flowing into our area, or that this government will suddenly change course.

But if our community is not to be forgotten, it needs strong representation that will challenge ministers rather than accommodate them.

The choice is clear. If we are to stop Labour damaging our rural economy, burdening families and businesses with higher costs, and diverting attention away from communities like ours, we need a strong Conservative voice.

And if we are to stop the Liberal Democrats giving Labour an easier ride locally, we need representatives who will fight for our area rather than merely comment from the sidelines.

Above all, we need to ensure that Farnham, Bordon, Haslemere, Liphook and our villages are never forgotten.